Free arch shoe



Nov. 24, 1931. P. F. woDRuFF FREE ARCH SHOE Filed June 15. 1929 Patented Nov. 24, l 1931 PATENT OFFICE i PAUL F. WOODRUFF, OF FAIRPORT HARBOR, OHIO FREE Anon snor:

Application led June 15,

.Y This invention vrelates yto vwhat may be termed a free arch shoe, that is one in which 4the arch port-ion or instep of the wearers u foot is not bound: tightly to the sole of the 5` shoe. The shoe ofthe present invention contains no arch support in the sense of a stiff member to which .the arch of the foot is continnouslyconnected. On the contrary, the arch isleft free to assume its natural Vposi- "10 `tion and to movev freely during walking.

rlh'elacing of shoes, as shoes have been constructed heretofore, has had a tendency to draw the arch of the wearers foot toward and onto the relativelystiff unyieldingshoe f sole, as represented diagrammatically in Fig. 6, thereby causing discomfort and tending to break down the arch of the foot. Not only v`in standingand walking but in sitting as 20 ofthe .-foot where the latter is tightly bound to the sole Vof the shoe with lacing, buttons or other fastening devices, and this stress is ymomentarilyY increased during each step taken. Usually the shank of the sole is madev the foot must be protected from injury from beloW, -and because the heel and the forward portion of the sole must be tied together and a bearing must be provided for all portionsl of the foot which transmit load to theA earth. So longas any sole whatever remains in the Ymid portion of the shoe, it will besti'ffer than the restr of the-shoe surrounding the arch portion of the foot. In walking, the contour of the foot changes constantly. On account of the stidness necessarily present in shoe soles, it is impossible tok construct them vso as to follow the continuously changing conp tour of the foot in walking.

v The present invention has to do with the provision of means for enclosing the arch or instep of the footwithout restricting freedom of movement and without departing from'the use of the conventional shoe sole. I prefer to accomplish this result by causing the instep portion of the shoe upper to eX- tend beneath the arch of the foot as well as well, there is an initial stress upon the archy 1929. Vserial No. 371,127.

along the sides and over the top thereof, and to leave this portion of the upper entirely detached from the shoe sole. Vith a shoe constructed in this manner, the lacing of the shoe across the arch of the foot exerts pressure inwardly upon the foot in all directions, and not merely downwardly, and hence there is no tendency to force the footl down wardlyand break the arch. The appearance of such a shoe need not be noticeably different yfrom that ofthe present' conventional One object of the invention is the provision of a free arch shoe, that is one in which the freedom of movement of the wearcrs arch is not interfered with.

Another object is the provision of a slice, as above defined, in which the under side of the foot is protected from injury throughout its length.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1, or on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same; v

Fig. 4 isa cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, or on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a modification of the invention; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views depicting the effect of forcing the instep of the foot down tightly upon an unyielding support like the stiff sole of a shoe.

The shoe illustrated in the drawings has a sole comprising a forward portion 10, a shank 11 and atheel 12 of heavy stiff leather. The counter of the shoe is shown at 13,l the shoe illustrated being a low cut shoe, although, obviously, it could as well be a high one. The toe portion of the upper is shown at 14 and the vamp at 15. 16 and 17 are insoles. There is no insole for the mid portion of the shoe for the reason that an insole there would interfere, to some extent, with the pliability of the shoe upper at this point.

The securing of the upper tothe sole inay ybe accomplished in the conventional manner in so far as the forward portion of the shoe and the heel portion are concerned. The weltV is indicated at 18. In the conventional shoe the welt ordinarily extends all around the toe and along; the sides of theshoe back at least as far as the heel. In the present instance, however, it extends back along the' sides of the shoe only to a position just forward of the arch portiom-and then' extendsy across the shoe, as indicatedin Fig. 2. The Welt may be attached tothe toe portion 14C of f the vupper by stitchingl19, indicated in Figs.

"2` and 3`,`and tothe sole 10' by further'stitching. 20." kThe vamp 15 has a continuous iower portion extending transversely and arched, as indicated in Fig. 3, tofitV more or less snugly the foot of the wearer. It is stitched to the counter 13 4and vtheltoe porftienfl'i of the upper in the usual' orany 'desirable way. -At 'its forward endvthe 'transverse portion 21 of the vamp is sewed to the Itransverse portion of the weit 18 by a line of stitching 22. its rear end it is secured to fthe" heel 112 along a transverse line indicated at 23. Y The counter 13 is divided across the instep. and provided with eyelets for lacing.

.-. Y24: representsV the usual shoe tongue.

When the shoe islaced up upon the foot U4dof" the vwearer the transverse part'` 212`of thev vamp is drawn up snugly againstV 'the lower part of the wearers instep. ,t times, particularly in standing and walking, there will bey more or less contact between this'part 21 andthe shank 11 ofthe sole, Fig. i illustrating such a condition. At all tim-es, however, there is perfect freedom of movement of that `portion vof theupper between the points or lines 22 and 23, and consequently the arch or instep of.` the wearer is free to take the varying positions which it naturally assumes in walking, standing or sitting.

l'Ihe term lacing, as used hereinafter, is intended to includebuttoning and' any otherform of fastening capable of exerting pres- 'sure upon the foot.

lWhile the most desirable-means known to me for carrying the inventionintoreffect is that abovedescribed, it is possible to employ other andinore or less Vdi'h'erent constructions, as for instance, that illustrated. in Fig; 5, where the vamp portion of the shoe' is shown attached to the shank 11 of the sole along'each side,'thevamp in this case, howe'ver,.comprising al leather 'portion 35and an y extensible portion 36 formed of rubber or the like. When asshoe of. this construction is laced npsthev portion BGstretches, and hence no-pressuratending to break downithe arch,

is exerted;q

In Figs. 6 and 7, 30 represents a stiff fiat4 support corresponding to the sole of a shoe, and 31 is a bolt Vwhich may represent in its action the effect of lacing a shoe. A foot with a normal arch is shown in Fig. 6, the nut 32 on the bolt 31 not being screwed down. In Fig. 7 the nut 32 is shown screwed down Vas far as it wil'lgo, clamping thejfoot tightly against the support 30, thereby breaking the arch of the foot in much the same manner as occurs when.A theordinary shoe is laced tightly.

I/Vhi'le in foregoing description and accompanying drawings I have illustrated more or less' in detail a" preferred embodiment of the invention, I desire it to be understood that such detailed disclosure is primarily for .the purpose of fully illustrating the invention, and is not to be construed asV amounting to a limitation Vupon the scope thereof.

claim: K

1. In a shoe, asole having arelatively stiff shank, and an upper Ycomprising a iniddle uniform vplyportion adapted to entirely middle portionbeing attached to the Vsole vat the' forward and rear ends only'ofthe arch.

2. In a' shoe, `a sole having a .relatively4 Having thus described my invention, I"

Vsurround the arch ofthe wearers foot, said stiff'Y shank,`an upper formed to extend en-l tirely around the foot of the wearer throughout the arch porti'on'thereof, and means for attaching the upperto the sole" at thehee'l and in front of the arclionly, the remaining pora '1 tion of the upper being'formed of single ply* shank, an upper attached tov thev'sole around the forward portion of theV shoe and along' the sides and across the shoe directly behind the 'ball'of the wearersvr foot, saidupper being further attachedl to the sole around the rear and sides'ofthe heely and crosswise ofthe sole directly'in front of theI heel, the intermediate portions ofthe upper being free of lattach-k ment tothe sole. a

5. Ina shoe, a sole having a relatively stiff shank, andfan'upper extending from heel' to toe having an intermediate uniform ply portion adapted to surround the instep of the wearer, said portion being continuous with g the forward and rear portionsof the upper and: free of attachment to said shank.

In testimony whereof, I vhereunto aiixl my signature; Y p A Y PAUL F. WOODRUFF. 

